jeudi 19 novembre 2015

(10) Dooyeweerd: Rationalism's Critical Flaw

In this Introduction it suffices for us to bring to the fore the inner problematic nature of the immanence-standpoint. It will suffice to show how the choice of this standpoint is not possible unless the limits of philosophic thought are actually transcended.

At this point we proceed from that which we learned above to be essential to the Archimedean point of philosophy. The latter, as we demonstrated, must be elevated above the modal diversity of meaning. Should the Archimedean point itself be enclosed in this diversity, then it would be per se unsuitable as a point of reference, from which the view of totality must be directed over the different modal aspects of our cosmos.

Furthermore, the Archimedean point, as we previously observed, must also transcend the coherence in the diversity of thr modal aspects. Of this thesis we are now to render a further account.

Why the totality of meaning cannot be found in the coherence of the modal aspects.

Why can the totality of meaning not be found in the immanent coherence of meaning among the different modal aspects? Because the immanent coherence among all special aspects of meaning of our cosmos lacks in itself the inner concentration-point in which these latter meet in a radical unity. This truth becomes immediately evident to us in the act of self-reflection.

In this Introduction we began by observing that our ego expresses itself in all special modal aspects of our existence. This is possible only because the latter find their concentration-point in the ego. Now the self is elevated above the modal diversity of meaning and is thus transcendent with respect to it. Our selfhood does not coalesce with the mutual coherence among all functions which we have in the cosmos.

The modal diversity of meaning exists only in the coherence of all modal aspects, but it is the expression of a totality of signification which through the medium of time is broken up into a modal diversity of aspects.

The totality or fulness of meaning is the necessary transcendent centre where, in their mutual coherence, all modal aspects converge into the unity of direction towards the Origin, towards the Ἀρχή of all meaning.

The Archimedean point as concentration-point for philosophic thought.

Thus, in connection with the preceding, the Archimedean point of philosophy must truly be the concentration-point for philosophic thought and as such it must transcend the modal diversity of meaning even in its coherence. Can this concentration-point be found in philosophic thought itself? In other words, can we, discover anywhere in theoretical thought a point that really transcends the modal diversity of meaning?